


Confliction and Hope

by Diary



Category: Scandal (TV)
Genre: Bechdel Test Fail, Canon Character of Color, Canon Gay Character, Conversations, Family, Gen, Introspection, M/M, POV Ethan (Scandal), POV Male Character, Season/Series 05, Self-Reflection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-20
Updated: 2016-04-20
Packaged: 2018-06-03 10:40:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6607663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diary/pseuds/Diary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ethan tries not to think about the tie he saw poking out from under the bed at Cyrus’s hotel suite or the fact the bed was messy. Complete.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Confliction and Hope

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Scandal.
> 
> Author's Note: When it comes to hair, puppy dog ears are unplaited pigtails. They're also called bunches.

When Ethan comes by to drop off some papers for Cyrus, Ella runs in wearing a princess dress and her hair done in puppy dog ears. Seeing him, she shows off her missing teeth with a bright smile and waves. “Hi, Ethan!”

Kneeling down, he says, “Hey, Miss Ella. It looks like the chickenpox is almost all gone.”

She nods. “Dada bought me new earrings. Want to see them?”

“I’d love to,” he answers.

She drops to the floor and crawls off.

“She’s decided she’s princess of the puppies,” Michael tells him.

Ethan tries not to think about the tie he saw poking out from under the bed at Cyrus’s hotel suite or the fact the bed was messy.

He knows Cyrus is a sound, peaceful sleeper, and the bottom sheet wasn’t just slightly rumpled in one general area with the top sheets wrinkled. No, the bottom sheet was wrinkled all over, someone had obviously tried to cover it with the mostly smooth top sheet, and one of the pillows had a much deeper imprint than the other.

Even without the messy bed, a tie ending up underneath it- Cyrus is a naturally tidy person. He’s yelled at Ethan enough times for Ethan not hanging Ethan’s jacket up properly in the staff coat room, and once when he had to change ties at work, he’d complained about the new one Ethan had found for him not being ironed.

It’s not his place, he tells himself.

When Michael from breakfast and last night had called, Ethan hadn’t thought to be worried. Or rather, he hadn’t thought to be worried about any bad intentions on Michael’s part.

To this day, Cyrus still loves James more than anything, and at the time, Ethan had been happy Cyrus had had some fun and hoped Cyrus wasn’t going to feel guilty over it.

He’d been fully prepared to think badly of Michael for the rest of his life when it came out Michael had deliberately set Cyrus up to be blackmailed.

Except, after the marriage, it seemed Cyrus himself had forgiven Michael. When Cyrus was still in the White House, Michael usually brought him lunch and sometimes dinner, and Cyrus once had Ethan bring in some of the chicken soup Ethan’s grandma had taught him how to make so Cyrus could take it home to a sick Michael.

Undeniably, Michael is more attached to Ella than Cyrus is.

Still, Cyrus doesn’t love Michael, and it’s doubtful Michael loves him.

Hopefully, whoever the mystery man is, he’s a nice, decent guy who genuinely likes Cyrus. Hopefully, if he turns out to be important, Michael, Cyrus, and him can all work out something so they're all happy and Ella doesn't have to deal with her dada and uncle waging war.

Ella reappears with a pair of sparkly, star-shaped earrings.

Ethan kneels back down to examine them.

“Dada showed me pretty red ones, but Uncle Michael said that they were for bigger girls, and he showed me a bunch of others, and since I’m going to Jupiter someday, I picked these.”

“Oh, why are you going to Jupiter?”

“’Cause Nick, this boy in my class, said I couldn’t. Daddy used to tell me that, when I was all grown up, I could do anything I wanted to.” She gives him a sad smile. “Do you wear earrings? Some boys do.”

“No,” he answers. “No one got my ears pierced when I was too little to feel the pain, and I’m too scared to feel it now.”

She laughs. “I’m going to watch TV. Do you want to watch with me?”

“Even though I’d really like to, I need to get back to work soon.”

“So Dada doesn’t yell at you,” she supplies.

“Yep,” he agrees.

Once she’s gone, he stands up and asks, “Ruby earrings?”

“They cost more than some people’s rent,” Michael says with a nod. “I had to convince him those were high quality enough they wouldn’t turn her ears green.”

He tries not to laugh.


End file.
